Probate Attorney Near Me — Helping NEPA Families Settle an Estate
Losing someone is hard enough. Then comes the paperwork. The court filings. The tax returns. The accounts that need to be closed and assets that need to be transferred. Nobody hands you a checklist. Nobody tells you what order things go in. And somewhere in the middle of grieving, you’re expected to figure it out. At Bregman & Lantz, we guide families through this process every year. We know every step and every deadline. You don’t have to figure this out alone.
Free consultation · Same-week appointments · 15+ years of experience
You probably didn't sign up for this. But it has to get done.
When someone names you executor of their estate, they’re trusting you with something important. Most people who take on that role have never done it before and will never do it again. The county doesn’t hand you instructions. The court doesn’t walk you through the steps.
What you get instead is a list of things that need to happen, a set of deadlines you didn’t know existed, and you have to navigate it all with the weight of doing it right while also trying to take care of your family.
We’ve heard it described the same way again and again: “I had no idea what I was supposed to do. I didn’t know where to start.”
That’s exactly where we come in.
What happens when there's no guidance
Estate administration without legal help is like navigating a city you’ve never been to without a map. You might eventually find your way. But you’ll take wrong turns. You’ll miss things. And some mistakes, like missing a tax filing deadline or improperly distributing assets before debts are paid, can create personal costs for the executor.
Pennsylvania has an inheritance tax that must be filed nine months after the date of death. There are federal estate tax requirements. There are creditors to notify, accounts to close, real estate to transfer, and people to keep informed. If anything is contested, it becomes a legal matter.
Getting it wrong doesn’t just cost time. It can cost money.
One family described the experience of settling an estate without proper help this way: “I found out the procedure hadn’t been followed correctly. Thanks to getting the right guidance, I finally knew what I needed to do to correct it.”
That’s a situation no grieving family should have to face.
We handle it. All of it.
Bregman & Lantz guides families through this process every year. Whether the estate is large or small, whether there’s a will or not, whether things are simple or complicated, we’ve seen it before. Here’s what that looks like in practice:
Probate and Non-Probate Estates
Probate is the court process for verifying a will, gathering assets, paying outstanding debts, filing taxes, and distributing what remains to the people entitled to it. It is public, it has specific legal steps, and it has a timeline.
Not everything goes through probate. Some assets, like jointly held property, accounts with named beneficiaries, and assets held in a trust, pass outside of probate entirely. Knowing which assets are which, and how to handle each one, is one of the first things we sort out together.
Pennsylvania Inheritance Tax Returns
Pennsylvania is one of only a small number of states with an inheritance tax. It applies to estates of Pennsylvania residents, as well as to Pennsylvania real estate owned by non-residents.
The return must be filed nine months after the date of death. If a partial payment is made within three months, a 5% discount applies. Missing these deadlines has real financial consequences.
During a time of grief, having someone handle this correctly and on time is one of the most practical things we can do for a family. We prepare the return, make sure it is accurate, and make sure it is filed when it needs to be.
Federal Estate Tax Returns
For larger estates, a federal estate tax return may also be needed. Like the Pennsylvania return, it is due nine months after the date of death. We handle the preparation and filing so the executor doesn’t have to navigate federal tax law during one of the hardest periods of their life.
Asset Collection and Distribution
Before anything can be distributed to the people who are supposed to receive it, the estate needs to be gathered and inventoried. That means finding accounts, real estate, personal property, and any other assets. Debts and expenses need to be paid in the right order. Only then can what remains be passed on correctly.
We guide executors through this entire process, step by step, so nothing is missed and nothing is done out of order.
Will Contests and Litigation
Sometimes estate matters become disputed. A family member challenges the will. People disagree about how assets should be distributed. A creditor makes a claim that doesn’t seem right.
When disputes come up, having an attorney who handles estate matters regularly makes a real difference. We represent executors and family members in contested matters in Pennsylvania and work to resolve things as cleanly as possible so the estate can be settled and the family can move forward.
Why families in NEPA choose Bregman & Lantz for estate administration
You meet with David Lantz directly, every appointment. Not a paralegal. Not a junior associate.
What our clients say
Years of
Experience
Planning clients
per year
Initial discovery
conversation
Appointments
available
Proudly serving NEPA & outside communities
Here's how it works
Tell us what’s happened and where things stand
We lay out the full picture in plain language
We take it from there
You don't have to figure this out alone.
Settling an estate is one of those things nobody is prepared for when it lands on them. One free consultation is all it takes to understand what needs to happen, in what order, and how we can help.
Bregman & Lantz LLC